Thundercat released “Drunk,” his third album, in February 2017 to a rapturous reception. Across its 23 tracks, the Grammy-winning singer/bassist invited his friends Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell, Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, Wiz Khalifa, Kamasi Washington and Brainfeeder mastermind Flying Lotus to join him on his musical journey. The record was cited in countless “Best of 2017” lists including by Pitchfork, NPR, Rough Trade, Mass Appeal, Complex, NME, Crack Magazine, New York Times, Consequence Of Sound, Noisey, Pigeons & Planes, SPIN, Stereogum, The Guardian, AV Club, Billboard, Complex, Esquire, High Snobiety, LA Weekly, Dummy, The Sunday Times, and it was named the “BBC 6 Music Recommends Album of the Year 2017.”

The Chopstars were established by OG Ron C, a veteran of southern rap who co-founded the illustrious Texas-based independent record label Swishahouse Records alongside Michael “5000” Watts in 1997, releasing records by Mike Jones, Paul Wall, Slim Thug and Chamillionaire. These albums would often be accompanied by mixes that were slowed down, scratched and juggled by DJs or “chopped and screwed” - a musical style originated and popularised by Houston’s DJ Screw (1971-2000). Paying homage to the legacy of DJ Screw, OG Ron C founded The Chopstars, recruited DJs Hollygrove, Slim K, Mike G (Odd Future) and Candlestick, and released remixed versions of hip-hop and R&B records by Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Lil’ Yachty and 2 Chainz, coining the terms “chopnotslop” and “chopped not slopped” - a reference to other DJs’ sloppily executed mixtapes. The collective have also famously chopped up Little Dragon’s “Nabuma Rubberband” (2015) and teamed up with Hollywood director Barry Jenkins to release a Chopnotslop version of the film soundtrack “Moonlight”.

“I’ve always been a fan of chopping up creative music,” explains DJ Candlestick. “A lot of people don’t know we chop up rock and alternative music. We believe in chopping up everything just like DJ Screw’s dream - ‘chopping up the world.'”

Describing the Chopnotslop version of Thundercat’s “Drunk”, Candlestick continues: “We are fans of this type of music and especially Thundercat and Flying Lotus. With these type of projects, OG Ron C and myself usually vibe out and do what we do best. 'Drank’ gives you a perfect musical high. It’s also a project that all types of people can vibe to - smooth, chill and entertaining.”